The invention concerns a kit for rigidly connecting two containers provided in their corners with hollow corner fittings, as set forth in the classifying portion of claim 1. The invention further concerns a handling tool for such kits, a container and an apparatus for rigidly connecting containers as set forth in the classifying portion of claim 23.
The major part of piece goods freights or bundle freights are conveyed nowadays in containers, particularly in sea freight traffic. Introduced on the basis of ISO-standards, 20-foot and 40-foot sea containers are designed for ships, carrying apparatuses, lifting means, port installations and the like.
A problem which frequently occurs in practice is that in a respective terminal such as a port, loading station and the like, the existing 20-foot containers and 40-foot containers do not correspond to the respective requirement involved, in other words, they have to be transported to and fro in an empty condition, in order to have small and large containers, or 20-foot or 40-foot containers, available as required at the respective terminal. That transportation in an empty condition gives rise to considerable costs. In addition, the degree to which the containers are used to capacity falls, and that also results in increased costs.
To remedy that problem, DE 43 29 355 C2 proposed a container which can be assembled to a second container of the same kind, to form a complete container of double the length. The two containers are connected together by locking devices which comprise an element for guiding a respective pin and a pin-receiving element and which are integrated into the end container frame structure of the two containers to be coupled together and which are distributed on the couplable end in such a way that the same respective kind of element is always arranged laterally of a notional vertical centre line which divides the couplable end, thus ensuring couplability to another similar container. The locking device provides a positively locking connection by means of the insertion of a projection, arranged on a pin, of the pin-guiding element of the one container, into the corresponding pin-receiving element of the other container, with subsequent locking by rotating and pressing the projection against the pin-receiving element.
The previously known apparatus has the following particular characteristics:
the container assembled to double the length does not fit on lifting and carrier apparatuses, which are installed world-wide at the present time, for 20-foot and 40-foot sea containers in accordance with the ISO-Standard, as a spacing of about 76 mm is required between two 20-foot containers so that, in the coupled-together condition of the two 20-foot containers, the corner fittings thereof are at the same spacing as the outer corner fittings of a 40-foot container;
extensive conversion operations are required on the containers as the locking elements must be fitted into the frame structure of the containers; and
for connecting two containers together, a person must gain access to the interior of the container, which presupposes that the container is empty or temporarily partially unloaded; besides high costs, that causes additional problems in regard to customs laws and duties.
The object of the present invention is to render substantially superfluous transportation operations in the empty condition, which are required with the containers which are used at the present time on a world-wide basis, to rationalise storekeeping, and to reduce transportation costs.
That object is attained by the features of the main claim.
The kit according to the invention can be used for 20-foot containers which are employed world-wide and which are standardised in accordance with the ISO-Standard, without any modification to the containers, while two 20-foot containers which are rigidly connected by the kits according to the invention can be transported like a 40-foot container in the infrastructure which exists world-wide. The kit according to the invention is simple in its construction and is therefore expensive. The containers can be connected in a simple manner by means of the kits, by a procedure whereby the hammer portions are introduced into the corner fittings of the containers through the laterals slots of the corner fittings, then screwed to the screwthreaded rod, with the containers being moved towards each other by a displacement which is produced from the exterior, and are then drawn together by rotating the screwthreaded rod until the spacer portion is in a condition of firmly bearing against the corner fittings. There is no need for modifications to the containers, nor is it necessary to go into the interior of the containers.
Besides further advantages, the invention affords the following advantages:
improved utilisation of the 20-foot containers;
by virtue of the coupling procedure, two 20-foot containers can be moved as a 40-foot container on board a ship in 40-foot support structures or on 40-foot positioning locations, which reduces both the loading costs and also the transportation costs;
transportation movements in the empty condition are reduced;
the coupled 40-foot container can be loaded quickly as it is accessible from two sides;
conversion, which is appropriate in individual cases, of the 20-foot containers in such a way that the ends thereof which are towards each other in the coupled condition can be opened can be effected in a simple manner without interventions in the carrier structure;
no structural alterations whatsoever are required on existing lifting and transporting means;
the kits according to the invention can also be advantageously used when lashing and securing the 20-foot containers on ships; and
a composite container which is composed of two conventional 20-foot containers with the kit is safeguarded against pilferage if the door sides face towards each other.
Appendant claims 2 to 13 are directed to advantageous configurations of the kit according to the invention.
Claims 14 to 18 are directed to a handling tool which facilitates handling of the kits according to the invention when connecting and separating two containers.
Claims 19 to 22 characterise containers which are particularly well suited for use of the kit according to the invention.
It is only necessary to dispose two kits in each container, for example in a storage receptacle or bin in the container bottom, so that the world-wide stock of 20-foot containers can be used in the optimum manner and inexpensively.
Claim 23 is directed to an apparatus with which containers can be rigidly connected together to form a composite container in a particularly simple manner, using kits according to the invention.